Lucarsa.com - Bienes Raices Online Mexico

Facts & Figures


President: Felipe Calderón (2006 - 2012)

Land area: 742,485 sq mi (1,923,039 sq km); total area: 761,602 sq mi (1,972,550 sq km)

Population (2010 est.): 112,468,855 (growth rate: 1.1%); birth rate: 19.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 17.8/1000; life expectancy: 76.2; density per sq km: 57

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Mexico City, 19,013,000 (metro. area), 8,591,309 (city proper)

Other large cities: Ecatepec, 1,731,900 (part of Mexico City metro. area); Guadalajara, 1,665,800; Puebla, 1,345,500; Nezahualcóyotl, 1,250,700 (part of Mexico City metro. area); Monterrey, 1,135,000

Monetary unit: Mexican peso

Geography

Mexico is bordered by the United States to the north and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. Mexico is about one-fifth the size of the United States. Baja California in the west is an 800-mile (1,287-km) peninsula that forms the Gulf of California. In the east are the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay of Campeche, which is formed by Mexico's other peninsula, the Yucatán. The center of Mexico is a great, high plateau, open to the north, with mountain chains on the east and west and with ocean-front lowlands beyond.

History

At least three great civilizations—the Mayas, the Olmecs, and the Toltecs—preceded the wealthy Aztec empire, conquered in 1519–1521 by the Spanish under Hernando Cortés. Spain ruled Mexico as part of the viceroyalty of New Spain for the next 300 years until Sept. 16, 1810, when the Mexicans first revolted. They won independence in 1821.

From 1821 to 1877, there were two emperors, several dictators, and enough presidents and provisional executives to make a new government on the average of every nine months. Mexico lost Texas (1836), and after defeat in the war with the U.S. (1846–1848), it lost the area that is now California, Nevada, and Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In 1855, the Indian patriot Benito Juárez began a series of reforms, including the disestablishment of the Catholic Church, which owned vast property. The subsequent civil war was interrupted by the French invasion of Mexico (1861) and the crowning of Maximilian of Austria as emperor (1864). He was overthrown and executed by forces under Juárez, who again became president in 1867.


Economy

Mexico's economy is driven by tourism, industrial production, oil and gas production, textiles and clothing, and agriculture. Americans visit Mexico more often than any other country in the world. Hundreds of North American factories have been built to take advantage of the lower labor costs. Mexico has 1/5 of the worlds oil reserves. Mexico produces and exports a wide selection of agricultural goods. Just about every kind of fruit and vegetable is grown on giant modern irrigated farms and small family plots.

Mexico's economy is the world’s thirteenth largest: about the same size as South Korea's and Russia's. It is a free market economy, with a mix of services, industry and agriculture. Mexico is one of the world’s top oil producers. Pemex, the state-owned oil company, has a constitutional monopoly on the exploitation of Mexico’s oil reserves. Although oil contributes only around 3% of overall GDP, the government is highly dependent on oil revenues for its income. More than 12m Mexicans live and work in the US. A considerable number of these enter the country illegally. Collectively, the Mexican diaspora provides more than US$20bn in remittances annually to their families in Mexico, making this the second largest source of revenue for the Mexican economy. Mexico has rapidly developed its tourist sector in recent years. Tourism is now the fourth largest source of currency income for Mexico. The resorts of the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan peninsula (especially Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel) have grown very quickly. The Pacific coast (Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Los Cabos) have also increased in popularity in recent years.

Administrative divisions of the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos)

Mexico is a federal republic consisting of 31 states and a Federal District (Mexico City). The states in alphabetical order (state capital in parenthesis):

Aguascalientes (Aguascalientes), Baja California (Mexicali), Baja California Sur (La Paz), Campeche (Campeche), Chiapas (Tuxtla Gutiérrez), Chihuahua (Chihuahua), Coahuila (Saltillo), Colima (Colima), Durango (Durango), Guanajuato (Guanajuato), Guerrero (Chilpancingo), Hidalgo (Pachuca), Jalisco (Guadalajara), Mexico State (Toluca), Michoacán (Morelia), Morelos (Cuernavaca), Nayarit (Tepic), Nuevo León (Monterrey), Oaxaca (Oaxaca), Puebla (Puebla), Querétaro (Querétaro), Quintana Roo (Chetumal), San Luis Potosí (San Luis Potosí), Sinaloa (Culiacán), Sonora (Hermosillo), Tabasco (Villahermosa), Tamaulipas (Ciudad Victoria), Tlaxcala (Tlaxcala), Veracruz (Xalapa), Yucatán (Mérida), Zacatecas (Zacatecas)

Mexico Attracts Baby Boomers with Affordable Retirement Living

• Mexico attracts Baby Boomers seeking affordable retirement living. According to the Congressional Budget Office, only about half of Boomer households will be able to accumulate sufficient savings and investments to allow them maintain their present standard of living in their current location throughout their retirement years. The rest will either have to continue working or will have to find new ways to stretch their retirement incomes. Many have discovered that living in Mexico, at least for part of the year, eases the strain on their budgets as well as gives them a whole new outlook on life.

• While the trend of retirees moving South of the Border is not new, experts predict the exodus of retirees from the USA, Canada, and other countries will not only continue well into the future but also increasing numbers will make the move each year. Rising costs for food, gasoline, and utilities coupled with declining housing values are forcing many to look outside their hometowns, even outside their countries, for a place that offers an affordable cost of living.

• Although affordable locations exist in every country, many retirees are hesitant to stray too far from friends and family. They want to find an area that will allow them to maintain, or even improve, their present standard of living. However, they still want to be close enough to "home" so that trips back and forth are manageable both as far as time as well as cost are concerned. Many also want a place that is warm and sunny most of the year. Mexico fits the bill for a great number of expatriates. Published by Cynthia Bower / www.associatedcontent.com

Useful Links

------ Travel & Tourism

• The Weather - National and Local Weather.
• Visit México - The official Mexico visitor guide.
• Embassy World - Directory of The World's Embassies & Consulates.
• México Hotel Guide - Top Destinations in Mexico.
• The Airport Guide - The Leader in Global Airport Information.
• México Phone Codes - Find it here!
• Ecoturismo y Aventuras de México - Leaders in National and International Eco Tourism.

------ Arts & Humanities

• Artes e Historia de México - Arts and History of México
• Colecciones Mexicanas - Mexican collections
• La Casa Imperial de México - The Imperial House of Mexico
• Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas (UNAM) - Aesthetics Research Institute
• Museo Cuitláhuac - Official site of the first Regional Community Museum of the Federal District
• Museo Virtual Diego Rivera - Diego Rivera Virtual Museum
• Museo José Luis Cuevas - Museum of artist Jose Luis Cuevas
• Museo Virtual de la Cosmogonía Antigua Mexicana - Ancient Mexican Cosmogony Virtual Museum
• Museo Tamayo - International Contemporary Art
• Museo del Estanquillo - Culture Center
• Museo Franz Mayer - Decorative Arts
• Museo Nacional de Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec - History Museum
• Museo Universitario de Ciencias y Arte - Art Museum
• The Anglo Mexican Foundation - Culture Center
• Museo del Vidrio - Art Museum

Mexican food history

The history of Mexican food is a long and diverse one. It is believed that authentic Mexican food might have been derived from the Mayan Indians. They were traditionally nomadic hunters and gatherers. Corn tortillas with bean paste were a common food item; but they also ate wild game, tropic fruits, and fish. In the mid 1300's, The Aztec Empire was thriving, and though the Mayan food staples were still in use, chili peppers, honey, salt and chocolate found its way into their cooking. Some of the wild game, such as turkey and duck, had now become domesticated.

In 1521 Spain invaded Mexico. Spanish foods had the most influence on the Mexican cuisine. They introduced new livestock, such as sheep, pigs and cows. They brought with them dairy products, and garlic as well as many different herbs, wheat and spices. It was at this time that the Mexican people saw the assimilation of many other cuisines including Caribbean, South American, French, West African and Portuguese. Because of this Mexican foods today are diverse, yet dishes to vary from region to region.

Cooking methods, past and present

The early natives of Mexico did not have ovens, instead they heated food over and open fire, using cast iron skillets and ceramic ware. Another method was steaming. They would suspend meat wrapped in cactus or banana leaves, over boiling water in a deep pit. Frying was also a popular method. They used a metate y mano, which is a large tool made of lava rock or stone that they would use as a grinding stone or the molcaiete, which was smaller, to grind and smash ingredients. The molcaiete, or mortar and pestle, is a small bowl shaped container that can be made of stone, pottery, hard wood or marble, and the pestle is baseball bat shaped.

Why You Should Consider Investing in Mexico Real Estate

• There are numerous reasons why you should seriously consider buying Mexico Real Estate, but it will ultimately boil down to both personal choice and circumstances. Everybody knows that investing in Mexico real estate is an intelligent decision. One thing is for sure, however, before buying, you need to delve deep in to your reasons for looking at Mexico real estate. Are you planning to live in Mexico for a long time? A long term rental may not be a wise decision. This will mean that you will be paying for a long time and at the end of the stay you do not have any asset to speak of. You may consider buying the property in this case. Since Mexico is a very well known tourist destination, it serves as a perfect vacation home. A condo hotel in Mexico or a villa can serve as an overseas investment property that will provide a handsome rental income while also providing you with a vacation home whenever you want. Nowadays, condo hotels in Mexico are equipped with all modern amenities to speak of. They mostly have pools, Jacuzzis, gym, spa etc. Since, they are managed by a property management company; you don't have to worry about maintenance of the property and rentals.Mexico is also an ideal location, if your company looking for a new location, second headquarters, warehouse or manufacturing facility.

• Whatever your reasons for looking at buying Property in Mexico real estate, it is important to realize that it can the best investment decision you ever made. Property values in Mexico have been consistently appreciating every year, just like they do almost anywhere else in world. But, property values of Mexico real estate do not typically appreciate as phenomenally and quickly as they do in the North American countries like United States and Canada or Europe . This makes property buying in Mexico a value for buyers. In addition, as with any property, the true appeal and value of property in Mexico comes down to one thing only - location!. This brings us to another important thing to think about when you are looking at Mexico real estate is the state of development in the immediate vicinity as well as the surrounding governmental infrastructure of the whole entire area. Some areas are much more developed than others, while some are hardly developed at all. While property values will be cheaper in these areas on account of lack of development and infrastructure, be careful when you are looking at these sorts of locations in the purchase of Mexico real estate. Though rapid development is taking place all over Mexico , any development in that area may take time to catch up.

• To summarize: Before purchasing Mexico real estate, you first need to conduct extensive research, choose your location and property with due diligence, and ensure that you then hire the right professionals and that the law is strictly followed. Scores of foreign investors have successfully purchased land and property in Mexico and with the right approach and plenty of research, there is no reason why you should not become one of them if you should decide to buy some Mexico real estate. Author: Jason Keiller